AC/DC成立于1973年，由原“地下天鹅绒乐队”的成员马尔科姆·扬（Mlalcolm Young）创建。马尔科姆的弟弟安格斯是乐队的首席吉他手，而当时他才15岁。他姐姐建议他穿上校服在舞台表演。很快，穿着校服的小小吉他手就成了乐队的标志。后来，乐队到了墨尔本发展，鼓手菲尔·鲁德（Phil Rudd）、贝司手马克·埃文斯（Mark Evans）加入了乐队。因为他们的歌手戴夫·埃文斯坚持不肯上台表演，乐队成员波恩·斯科特（Bon Scott）成了他们的首席歌手。 在这之前，斯科特曾为澳大利亚摇滚乐队Fraternity和Valentines担任过歌手。不过，斯科特对AC/DC乐队最大的贡献不是在音乐方面，而是他帮助AC/DC成功树立了一个“坏孩子”形象。斯科特曾有过几次轻罪记录，还因为品行不端被澳大利亚军方拒绝入伍。而物以类聚，AC/DC里面恰巧都是斯科特这类人。在乐队的音乐生涯中，他们给公众留下的印象就是：暴力不羁。乐队成员并不觉得这样有什么不好，反倒觉得这样很酷。 1974年到1975年，乐队有两张专辑面世：《High Voltage》、《TNT》。1976年，他们把前两张专辑中的部分歌曲精选成一张专辑《High Voltage》在美国和英国发行。同时他们在两国巡回演出，为自己的专辑作宣传。1976年底，专辑《Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap》面世。埃文斯1977年离开了乐队，接替他位置的是克里夫·威廉姆斯（Cliff Williams）。1977年秋天，AC/DC的专辑《Let There Be Rock》面世，第一次在美国成功登上排行榜。 1978年，乐队专辑《Powerage》发行，为他们吸引了更多的歌迷。不过，真正让乐队为普罗大众所接受是在1979年他们发行专辑《Highway to Hell》之后。这张专辑成为排行榜冠军。 然而，正当乐队事业如日中天的时候，不测风云发生了。1980年二月，波恩·斯科特去世。官方消息称他死于酗酒过量。三月，斯科特的位置由布莱恩·约翰森（Brian Johnson）取代，一月后乐队录制了专辑《Back in Black》，这是他们销量最好的专辑，仅仅在美国就卖出一千多万张。接下来几年，乐队成为世界上最火的摇滚乐队之一，专辑《For Those About to Rock We Salute You》在美国成为排行榜冠军。 1983年发行专辑《Flick of the Switch》之后，乐队的市场地位开始下滑。1990年，他们发行专辑《The Razor’s Edge》，其中单曲《Thunderstruck》成为热门。虽然他们在九十年代没有七八十年代那么红得发紫，但在很多演唱会上仍然可以常常看见他们的身影。1995年，他们的第16张专辑《Ballbreaker》发行，获得不少好评，在美国排行榜上取得第四名的好成绩，发行半年就销出了一百多万张。2000年，他们的专辑《Stiff Upper Lip》面世。 AC/DCs mammoth power-chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock sounds of the 70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the pompous art rock and lumbering arena rock of the early 70s. AC/DCs rock was minimalist — no matter how huge and bludgeoning the guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint. Combined with Bon Scotts larynx-shredding vocals, the band spawned countless imitators over the next two decades. AC/DC was formed in 1973 in Australia by guitarist Malcolm Young after his band, the Velvet Underground, collapsed (Youngs band has no relation to the seminal American group). With his younger brother Angus as lead guitarist, the band played some gigs around Sydney. Angus was only 15-years-old at the time and his sister suggested that he should wear his school uniform on-stage; the look became the bands visual trademark. While still in Sydney, the original lineup (featuring singer Dave Evans) cut a single called Can I Sit Next to You, with ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young (Malcolm and Angus older brother) producing. The band moved to Melbourne the following year, where drummer Phil Rudd (formerly of the Coloured Balls) and bassist Mark Evans joined the band. The bands chauffeur, Bon Scott, became their lead vocalist when their singer, Dave Evans, refused to go on-stage. Previously, Scott had been vocalist for the Australian prog rock bands Fraternity and the Valentines. More importantly, he helped cement the groups image as brutes — he had several convictions on minor criminal offenses and was rejected by the Australian Army for being socially maladjusted. And AC/DC was socially maladjusted. Throughout their career they favored crude double entendres and violent imagery, all spiked with a mischievous sense of fun. The group released two albums — High Voltage and TNT — in Australia in 1974 and 1975. Material from the two records comprised the 1976 release High Voltage in the U.S. and U.K.; the group also toured both countries. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap followed at the end of the year. Evans left the band at the beginning of 1977, with Cliff Williams taking his place. In the fall of 1977, AC/DC released Let There Be Rock, which became their first album to chart in the U.S. Powerage, released in spring of 1978, expanded their audience even further, thanks in no small part to their dynamic live shows (which were captured on 1978s live If You Want Blood, Youve Got It). What really broke the doors down for the band was the following years Highway to Hell, which hit number 17 in the U.S. and number eight in the U.K., becoming the groups first million-seller. AC/DCs train was derailed when Bon Scott died on February 20, 1980. The official coroners report stated he had drunk himself to death. In March, the band replaced Scott with Brian Johnson. The following month, the band recorded Back in Black, which would prove to be their biggest album, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone. For the next few years, the band was one of the largest rock bands in the world, with For Those About to Rock We Salute You topping the charts in the U.S. In 1982, Rudd left the band; he was replaced by Simon Wright. After 1983s Flick of the Switch, the bands commercial standing began to slip; they were able to reverse their slide with 1990s The Razors Edge, which spawned the hit Thunderstruck. While not the commercial powerhouse they were during the late 70s and early 80s, the 90s saw them maintain their status as a top international concert draw. In the fall of 1995, their 16th album, Ballbreaker, was released. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album received some of the most positive reviews of AC/DCs career. Ballbreaker entered the American charts at number four and sold over a million copies in its first six months of release. Stiff Upper Lip followed in early 2000.